The Pantheon

Pantheon is known as the temple of all gods. It is the largest non-

reinforced concrete dome. Some of the doorways are 40 feet high.

All of the light was shown through a hole in the dome that was 28

feet across. Supposedly the light was shown through just even

enough to use throughout the building. There were two different

parts of the Pantheon, the rotunda and the portico. Twelve granite

Corinthian columns hold up the portico. They’re 50 feet high. The

rotunda has walls 20 feet thick. It needed to be that thick to support

the dome above it. The Pantheon has become a burial place for famous

painters. Once a year they open the doors so people can see King

Humbert’s tomb. They place huge candles and many flowers around the

tombs. The Pantheon was frequently flooded by the Tiber River overflowing.

Planning of the building was in 120AD and actual construction took place

shortly after. By 126AD it was complete. The Pantheon was the largest dome

in the wolrd until 1436. The temple was converted into a church in 609. The

columns in the front of the Pantheon were 60 tons. The pantheon is next to

the Piazza della Rotonda.